Oh Toujours Padfoot... You are such a gifted writer, it continues to blow my mind. There doesn't seem to be a genre you can't handle, a character you don't understand, or an idea that you can't execute with precision and excellence. I hate you.

No, no, ignore that, I'm sorry - that's just the jealousy talking. Seriously, though, this is so fantastic! I remember the first story I ever read of yours was 'Siren' and how dark and gripping and powerful that was. And then when I read something so opposite, it blows my mind that the same author wrote both! You're so incredibly versatile and I'm in love with both your style and originality!

So in case you haven't figured it out yet, this is your first (and insanely overdue) review for winning the HPPC Challenge! This story was the one I chose to read and review because I love Fred and George and I love OC's and I love the pairing of FredorGeorge/OC, so as soon I saw the option, I knew I had to read it! And I'm so glad I did! Where to even begin?... From the top it is!

I love how the story just jumps right in. A lot of fics I've read here that are based around an OC tend to start out with a lot of description about who that character is, rather than simply writing them into scenarios and allowing us to find out for ourselves through their reactions and where their mind races off to. I love that you just throw her into a back and forth dialogue with Fred from the start so that we get to figure Hollis out for ourselves, experience her wit first hand rather than being told 'I am sarcastic'.

Speaking of the dialogue between the two, that was so much fun to read! LOL A lot of the time when I see a writer who wants to create a witty back and forth, they tend to either over-do it so that the conversation lacks any real purpose other than to get a laugh (which also tends to become unrealistic), or they simply haven't written it in a way that's really very funny at all! But you've found a perfect balance of believability, true humor, and actual substance that serves a purpose, moves the plot along and is also so enjoyable. And to top it all off, Fred was SO in character! And as a fangirl of Fred (and George!), I'm very picky with him, but you've done him brilliantly here. These two lines were my favorite's of his:

""Irma," he said charmingly, arms outspread as if to hug her. "How long it's been!""

""Oi! Go easy on me! I've ingested a lot of interesting things today and I might be flammable!""

LOL! Too funny, and so perfectly Fred! I also love when he pins the not returning of a book on himself while pretending to be George. :-p You're so funny.

I love that you brought in a bit of canon with the invisible hats research! It's always cool to see connections to canon being made in a new way. Oh, and later in the chapter we get to see the galleon from the DA! Again, a great combination of the canon world and your world. :-)

The way you give us details about the OC and who she is is really nice. Learning about how she's been watching Fred for so long after her friend admits that she can't tell the twins apart is exactly what I mean about showing us who your character is rather than just telling us from the top. It's this type of writing that makes me want to keep reading, because there's so much about the OC that I don't know yet, but still enough was learned about her to make me want to know more. It's the perfect balance.

Can we talk about the way in which you describe the moment when Hollis knows that Fred's watching her and she's trying to play it cool? I was reading that and thinking back on my experience with when a guy I've liked is nearby and I'm trying to act nonchalant, though on the inside I'm over-analyzing EVERYTHING, and reading your descriptions about being so hyper-aware, taking a sip of a drink just because, and just thinking 'OMG THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT!' hahaha

Omg, you just keep making me fall more and more in love with the twins! I didn't even know that was possible! I can't remember the last time a read a story that gave me butterflies because the romantic pairing was set up so well together! I got that excited feeling that people get when their actual crush is around because it's so easy to relate to Hollis and how she sees Fred! Oh, if only the twins were real...

Well I certainly can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next chapter! Fred with a surprise in the Owlery at 5am? That sounds like a recipe for awesome. Such a great way to end the first chapter because you know people want to find out what exactly Fred Weasley is up to this time! I will definitely be continuing this story. :-D

Thinking back on your one-shot that won the challenge (The Legacy of Waldorf), I have to say that it was really great to see another side of your humor. In your Peeves fic, the situations were so hilariously over-the-top and anything but subtle, but here we get just as many laughs but in a way that isn't as in-your-face as the one-shot. With the twins around, however, I'm sure we'll be seeing some Waldorf-esque over-the-top chaos in no time. It's just wonderful to see that not only can you write humor, but you can write it fantastically in differing ways! Did I mention already that I hate you?

So basically, in summation, you rock. You're an incredible author who can write about any character in any situation and make it look like the easiest thing in the world. And while I've been struggling with the third chapter of my only WIP, you seem to be an unstoppable force of nature on a whirlwind path to ruling the HPFF world of top writers. *bows to your excellence*

Thank you for this excellent story. See you in chapter two!
-Tanya :-)

P.S. I just remembered seeing the chapter titles and how the years change, so next chapter won't be the prank cause it's going two years in the past! -le sigh- Guess that means I'll just have to keep reading til I get to it! ;-) Can't wait.

Author's Response: Oh my god, Tanya. It has taken me ages to respond to this because your review is just...wow. I don't think I've ever seen a more thorough reviewer! My jaw was dropping all over the place - there was lots of flailing and squeeing and such. ♥ I can't thank you enough.

I'm glad you chose this story for the review prizes! It's fairly light and easy to get through, and the chapters skip around through various years in Hollis's life, moving forwards and backwards so hopefully the nonlinear format will prevent you from getting bored. :P

Yay, you thought Fred was canon! That's always such a lovely thing to hear because that's something I worked pretty hard on. It's great to have a fellow Fred and George fangirl! George is very prominent in this story - he by no means fades into the woodwork just because Hollis is hanging around, so I hope you like his characterization in this story, as well.

bahaha, omg, playing it cool when a guy is around; I drew on that one from experience. Just grabbing whatever is nearest and fiddling with it like there's no tomorrow, for lack of anything else to do.

Haha, you'll find that the Owlery bit's not in the next chapter because of the nonlinear format. Sorry! :3 You'll have to take a few trips back in time before you get to see that particular scene. But of course I just read this in your P.S., so I can only offer some cookies to get you through the waiting period. XD

Oh my goodness, how can I thank you enough? Your words are so, so lovely and so kind and you seem to pick up on every little detail! When you read something, you really read it! I feel so honored to have you reviewing this and so flattered that you actually liked it. Thank you so, so much. :)

Sweet Merlin, I was looking for a fic to help me with my Harry Potter nostalgia and this story just takes the cake and more. It made me laugh and cry and just filled to the brim with emotions, your story is just so wonderfully and beautifully written thank you for them. I am looking forward to reading more of your works.

Author's Response: Thank you! That makes me so happy. I'm so glad you enjoyed "So, Listen...". I've written a lot of stories but this one is the closest to my heart because it makes me feel like I'm in Hogwarts while I'm reading it, blending into the magical community. I hope to see you back again on my page!

Oh goodness. This story was heart-achingly awesome. I love so much about this story I'm not sure where to start. I don't really review, like ever, so I guess I'll just list stuff off - forgive me if it all sounds disjointed!

Lee and George should get medals for best wingmen ever. So many of the twin-centric stories I've read sort of shove Lee to the side or ignore him altogether, so I really appreciate that you've acknowledged his friendship with the twins and given him plenty of time to shine. The detention with Umbridge scene had me cramping with laughter.

I love how you sort of flit about the canon, taking bits and pieces of the books and sticking them in different lights to make up a story. George stealing Angelina at the Yule Ball, Harry's arrival on the Hogwarts Express, Fred and Hollis' brief goodbye before the twins' departure from the school... you've scouted out a bunch of tiny blanks and filled them in with a beautiful, and very convincing, love story.

You are damn funny. Your humor feels effortless. My absolute favorite part: "Fred Fred Fred Fred Fred Fred…" Oh, I can just picture his reaction. But if I tried to list out *all* the bits of this story that made me laugh I would use a lot more than 6000 words so I'll just leave it at that and hope it covers it.

I also love that you haven't neatly wrapped up every loose end. You could have had the pair troll through their history, detailing each of their encounters and explaining their motivations to the other - "Remember that one time in chapter X where I Y? That was because I liked you and was trying to get your attention!" - but you didn't, and I'm grateful. Their relationship is strong enough without a hundred different little confirmations of their feelings.

And the funeral scene. Oh dear. There have only been a handful of stories that have made me blubber like that, or that have taken the pain I felt at a character death and made me relive that pain anywhere near as strongly as I did while reading the books. "The coffin shook once when it sank to the very bottom, and this was when George began to cry, shoulders shaking like a broken person." That's where I broke, too. Before that I was crying, but that one line just made me curl up in a quivering ball and sob. I'm tearing up right now just thinking about it. Oh George. Oh Fred. That was powerful.

Whew.

I must admit I was hesitant to read this story. I am extremely partial to the twins and pairing either of them with an OC makes me wary... but I've been reading all of your stories and they are all so fantastic that I figured this one had to be, too. And oh boy, was it. Hollis is an enjoyable narrator, Delphine is entertaining and believable, the twins are completely in character, and you've incorporated the plots of the books into the story wonderfully.

What else can I say? You are an extremely versatile and gifted writer and I look forward to making my way through the rest of your stories. I don't feel that a simple "thank you" is enough for all the amazing work you've shared with us, but I can't think how else to put it. So, thanks.

Author's Response: Oh, wow, this review. Thank you so much. :)

I loved writing about wingmen Lee and George. I feel like Fred would have involved them in any relationship he would have had - especially George. They do everything together, and I don't think Fred would have just gone off by himself, isolated with some girl all the time. I'm very glad that you agree with that vision.

I'm also pleased that you liked George stealing Angelina at the ball. Some of my reasoning behind wanting to write this story was my irritation that in fan fiction, Angelina and George is like this angst fest, and Angelina basically only gets with George because he reminds her of Fred. I was like...no, she likes George based on his own merits. George is awesome, she didn't pick him because he looked like Fred. Angelina and Fred went to a dance together in school, that's it. They never even dated. I mean, Harry went to the ball with one of the Patil twins and you don't see them falling over each other in love. It got on my nerves, so I wanted to show that the relationship between Fred and Angelina has always been - since we have no evidence to the contrary - platonic. Sorry for that little rant there. :P

I've always been curious about what Harry would seem like from an outsider's perspective. The scene on the train was very fun to write.

I don't generally tear up much when reading or writing fic, either, and I admittedly teared up at the part where George started crying. It was such a miserable image, George crying, and writing that scene left me in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

I'm so, so flattered that you took a chance on my Fred/OC, and I definitely understand your hesitance. Another reason why I wrote this is because I'd been prowling the archive for a Fred/OC and didn't really care for any of them, so I decided to try my hand at it.

Oh my goodness, you are so kind. You seriously have no idea how much I appreciate this review - it's so encouraging and it makes me feel like I've achieved something. So thank you so, so, so much. :)

(Fair warning: this is a very long review, for which I'm sorry. I'd rather have sent it as a PM but I don't know if they allow those here.)

I didn't want to read this story. I didn't want to have anything to do with it because I knew how it would end. Of the many, many deaths I read about in the books, Fred Weasley's was the one that hit me hardest. For everyone else, there was some reason that they had to go: Dumbledore, Snape, Moody, Sirius, even Lupin and Tonks... But Fred. I never could understand why Fred went, and I will never, ever forgive Rowling for that.

And then you, with this story... I had to watch it all over again.

At its most powerful, fanfiction is more than just taking cues from the original and giving a life to them somewhere else- it becomes a self-reflexive exercise, reshaping the source itself. This is what your story does, and this is why it represents, for me, the very best that fanfiction can be. Because of course all of this happened. It couldn't have not happened.

Your Fred is my Fred, the one I know from the books. There's nothing out-of-character about him, nothing unbelievable about his relationship. I can see him laugh as he zooms off on his broomstick, blush lightly as he is perched on the bar stool, tease confidently in the Owlery, stare through blank, unbelieving eyes in his shop in Diagon Alley, speak bravely (but with a quiver in his voice) on Potterwatch. He can be all of these things at once, and still be Fred. And it's not just him- your George, always there, always knowing. I have never loved him more than when he turned around to look at Hollis during Molly's speech. It was an astonishingly beautiful thought, so simple, so natural- and my favourite moment in your story.

I don't know how I managed to get through Molly's speech. For a review as long as this, here's a silent thank you, said like a prayer.

But I don't want to fixate on the sadness because the sadness wouldn't have been poignant in the least had you not set up the rest of it so well. It was cruel and sneaky of you to draw us in with the rest of the chapters- but how wonderful they were. Light, fleeting, and laugh-out-loud funny. And Delphine! I loved that mad woman to bits! I roared in laughter at her satisfaction with the paltry gain of a biscuit at the end of their Gryffindor excursion, as an understanding Hollis sighs "Oh, Delphine".

And Hollis: so lovely, so lively, and familiar as anyone else. She seamlessly fits in with the world of the book because you've given her her own life (her independent association with Hagrid, for instance); her character isn't a prop that serves to highlight Fred's story. And you are the only person I've read who has made Hufflepuffs huffle and puffle believably and yet with so much majesty. They may play pranks, but will be ever so contained about it; they may go off on their own for 'adventuring', but they'll hide and watch when they do it. They may quarrel angrily, but ooh, look, a biscuit! I'm so grateful that you were committed enough to strike that balance.

And I'm so grateful that you wrote this story that I loved so much, so completely- every line, character, thought, moment. It's spectacular, and you are a spectacular author.

But I won't read it again, you know. I can't. I tried to, a few hours after the first time, but I couldn't. I don't want to think of whether Fred had ever got his swan, if it came to him just as he was dying, if he ever read it, or if he never will...

Author's Response: I'm sorry that it's taken me a while to respond to your review. I must have read it at least five times so far. I really can't express how grateful I am for your lovely review, and for reading a story that's been finished for a while and therefore usually doesn't get much traffic. Your feedback on all of the characters, on Hufflepuffs and Molly's speech and the relationships between everyone, brings a smile to my face. It makes me miss these characters and this story.

So this story was absolutely brilliant. You are an amazing writer. I thought Hollis was an amazing character, and you developed the Fred and Hollis relationship so beautifully! I'm in the process of creating a love story between George and a muggle girl, and I wanted to incorporate Hollis into my story. Only if that's alright with you, if it's not, I won't use her. I mostly just wanted Fred to be love-stricken throughout my story.

Anyways, you're brilliant, and thank you for sharing your talent with us!

Author's Response: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! This review COMPLETELY made my day, and it would be awesome if you used Hollis (so long as you credit her origin in this story in an author's note). Eeep, this is very exciting! I'd love it if you linked me to your story later so that I can read it. :D

This was such a beautiful story- you nearly had me crying at points! You captured the canon characters so perfectly I didn't even question anything they did- it just all seemed so right! I loved the relationships you created between the characters and I especially loved Hollis. She really had something special about her. I hope she's happy now, despite lacking Fred :( The funeral chapter had me in bits! You are a very talented author- keep writing! xo

Author's Response: -hugs you through the internet-

Thank you so much for this review, I can't even tell you how much it means to me. I really miss writing this story because it just feels like home to me, so it always cheers me up when someone floats along and reviews. I got rather attached to Hollis. She's happy now, yes. I wrote a one-shot about Hollis later in life, which is on my author page. It's called "So, Professor...", if you'd like to read it. :)

I've read many stories. I've cried and got angry, and continued to read. I must say, "So Listen..." Has been the best story I've read so far. Thank you for making me cry, and thank you for making me hate you. I loved this more than I can say, and I wish I didn't. it would mean they'd have a happy ending, but reality isn't always about happy endings.

Fred. I think you captured him perfectly. I've never read another story that seemed so realistic. Great job. Fred has always been my favourite character. Always. George coming in second, but Fred always seemed a bit more competitive. A bit more outgoing, I would like to think I could tell them apart, if I had been on paper in a story(:

I used to want to believe that Fred and died without love. Died young, forever twenty. But, that's unrealistic. It makes sense that he had someone, before he could have someone. It someone makes his death seem more tragic, much more realistic.

Again, thank you for the tears, for the hate, and thank you most of all for giving Fred this story. For making sure he wasn't another name, another number. Thank you telling his story, ensuring that he indeed, had one.

Author's Response: *jaw drops* I can't even tell you what an amazing compliment that is, saying this is the best story you've read yet.

I prefer Fred over George, too (obviously :3). And you're right, he's more outgoing. I'm currently rereading Goblet of Fire and JKR seemed to give him the wittier lines. He's a bit rougher around the edges than George, too, and more quick to prank.

Thanks to fanfiction, Fred has many, many, many stories and will never have to just be another name or number. I am so, SO grateful and appreciative that you chose to read this particular one, and that you left me such a lovely review telling me your thoughts. Thank you for the tears and the hate, and for being a fellow Fred-lover. :)

I want to thank you for writing and sharing such a beautiful, touching, and /special/ story; I have laughed, smiled, and cried throughout and will think about Fred and Hollis for a very long time. You have suceeded in writing something truely spectacular and my heart goes out to all of the Freds and Hollises of the world, of all those who fall in love and die young.
Congratulations on completing this story and thank you so much; "So, Listen..." is on my favorites list and will be recommended to all of my friends who will listen...no pun intended.
10/10 (although this story deserves so much more than that)

~Jess :D

Author's Response: Thank you SO SO much for reading and reviewing. Seriously, highlight of my week. You said such lovely, awesome things and I'm so glad you liked it. There are many, many great love stories that end in happily ever afters but I wanted to write one where it did not, where the girl almost got the boy but didn't quite make it to the 'ever after' part.

Author's Response: :'( I'm sorry that it was sad, but as an author it's strangely reassuring to hear that a sad chapter made someone cry. It tells me that I did something right, so thank you, I suppose, for crying. I miss him, too.
:(
Fred forever~

Author's Response: That date was supes awkward but Fred was there, so he made it cute. Cuteness seems to happen around him. The next chapter is a tough one, but I'll be supporting you in spirit! Or rather, would have, if I'd responded to this review before you read the next chapter. :D Hee.

I seriously feel like crying right now. I'd go further into how much I loved this chapter and Fred and Hollis's reunion (because I really did) but I've got to plow through the rest of the story before I have to head to bed. But I want you to know that this is a really special story that you've written.
10/10 :D

Author's Response: You plowed through this story like a bulldozer; I must say that I admire your reading speed. It was so much fun to log in and see that you marathon-read this story. You are awesome. Thank you for your splendid reviews. :)

It's official, next to James and Lily, Fred and Hollis are my OTP. I can't even handle this; I sitting here at my computer, smiling and giggling like a loon. I'M GOING TO BE A MESS IN MAY 1998 - A MESS I SAY.

10/10 :D

Author's Response: EEE OTP ♥ Thank you, I can't even tell you how much that made my day. :) MAY 1998. SAY IT ISN'T SO. LET'S JUST PRETEND THAT CHAPTER DOESN'T EXIST. :'(
Thank you for reading and reviewing!

I feel like crying; this chapter was beautifully written. I especially liked the passage about Fred's name being written all over Britain. And I have a bad feeling that I'm going to be very upset by the end of this story because of what happens to our dear Fred...

10/10 :D

Author's Response: :( This chapter was a bit of a downer. I'm glad that any depressing moments I had to write could be tempered with fluffy chapters. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope that any later fluffiness in this story cheered you up after this somber chapter!

I'm doing as I'm told by feeding the dinosaur ;)
But another great chapter! I love Hollis and Fred's interactions; they're so cute! 10/10 :D

Now, onward to the next chapter!

Author's Response: Thank you!! This started out by being my guilty pleasure story where I could focus solely on moments between Fred and an OC and not have to worry about depicting anything else, but it turned into my favorite story that I've posted on here.